2 boaters rescued with help of volunteers, research vessel

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Members of the Coast Guard, with the help of some volunteers and a research vessel, rescued two boaters whose boat capsized off Florida’s Space Coast.

Justin Desoto and Andy Odom were rescued Friday after their boat capsized near Cape Canaveral, Florida. They were uninjured.

Authorities were first notified of the boaters’ trouble by a 911 hang-up call to the Brevard County Sheriff Office. The sheriff’s office contacted volunteers in the Watchstanders program at a Coast Guard station in Jacksonville. Watchstanders typically monitor radio calls for help.

The Watchstanders on duty obtained the coordinates where the 911 call came from and issued a marine broadcast seeking help from nearby boats.

The research vessel Savannah found the boaters and they were then taken back to shore by the Coast Guard.